Meet our Board of Directors

Photos courtesy of Amy Jester Photography
Laura M. Anderson Board member and President since 2006. Laura's three sons, Brendan, age 16, Sam, age 14, and Philip, age 12, began at MCMS in 2004 after moving from the Cleveland, Ohio area where they attended Hudson Montessori School. Laura holds a BBA in Marketing and Management and an MS in Marketing Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Aside from professional marketing experience, she has worked as a teaching assistant in a Montessori Lower Elementary classroom. She is currently an at-home mom.
Brian Bauer Board member and Vice-President since 2006. Brian was born and raised in Ohio where his mother was owner/director of a small Montessori school. He graduated with a BS from Washington and Lee University and an M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. After completing an Internal Medicine Residency and a Geriatrics Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, he served as interim Director of Geriatric Medicine at Dean Clinics, before deciding to devote himself to being a full-time father. Brian's son, Eric, started at Montessori Children's House in Madison, before moving to MCMS to complete the Elementary and Adolescent Programs.
Mike Bress Board member since 2009. Born and raised in Washington DC, Mike attended Montessori through Kindergarten. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA, specializing in Finance and Strategy, from Georgetown University. A specialist in Corporate Finance, Mike moved to Madison from Washington (where his two children also attended Montessori) to be a Group CFO and to head up the Corporate Finance function at CUNA Mutual Group. Since 2010, Mike has been building, with two partners, his own financial and strategy consulting practice focused on the financial services industry. Mike's two kids both attend MCMS, Margaux, 8, in Elementary and Ian, 6, in Children’s House.
Teresa A. Fagan Board member since 2007. Teresa (Tia) was born and raised in Madison, WI. Tia graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Wisconsin. She has worked for the Wisconsin DNR and as an environmental engineering consultant in Milwaukee and Madison. She currently is taking a break from engineering to concentrate on raising her daughters. Her daughters transferred to MCMS in 2006 and are presently in the Elementary Program.
Erin Freiberg A newly elected board member, Erin is the mom of three young children, two of whom attend MCMS (Grace in Lower Elementary, Ben in Children's House). She has a B.A. in History from Messiah College in Pennsylvania, and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Erin is an attorney practicing primarily in employment law and employee benefits. She and her family have lived in Madison for 9 years.
Justin Harkins A newly elected board member, Justin has two sons who attend MCMS - one in the Lower Elementary Program, and another in the Children’s House Program. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is currently a director for a group of companies in energy conservation and renewable energy industry. Justin and his wife also operate a business that imports Montessori and other educational materials into Japan, where they have helped to open new Montessori Children's Houses.
Amy L. Jester Board member since 2008, Amy also serves on the Committee on Directors and the Alumni Committee. Amy has BA from UW-Madison in Political Science and Communication Arts, an MA from Indiana University in Communication Studies and has completed PhD coursework from University of Minnesota in Rhetorical Studies. She has taught university classes in Argumentation, Public Speaking, and Small Group Communication. For the last five years, Amy has run her own business as a custom portrait photographer. She is a former chair of the MCMS Family Connections parent association and her two children, Ben (age 7), and Nora (age 4), attend MCMS.
Judith E. Olingy Board member since 1993. Her son started in the school's toddler program in 1993 and graduated from the Adolescent Program in 2005. Graduated with a BA from Dickinson College, Carlisle PA and a JD from Antioch School of Law, Washington, DC. Judy held the position of Clinical Law Professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School since 1988 up until her retirement in April 2011. Previous employment: Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice; Staff Attorney, Division of Enforcement, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and private practice specializing in complex federal litigation.
Charles W. Thiltgen Board member since 2009. Charles has two children who have attended MCMS since 2007; a daughter in the Upper Elementary Program, and a son in the Lower Elementary Program. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BA in History and received a Juris Doctorate from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. Licensed in Texas and Wisconsin, Charles has been in private practice since 1995.
Geoffrey L. Wallace, PhD Board member and Treasurer since 2006. Geoffrey was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI where he attended Montessori schools from preschool through fifth grade. Geoffrey holds a BA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a PhD in Economics from Northwestern University. He is currently employed as an Associate Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he teaches courses in quantitative methods and microeconomics, and conducts research on the interaction between public policy and low income populations. Geoffrey has two sons: Ezra (in Children’s House) and Ethan (an MCMS alum).
Dorothy Zografi Graduated with a BS in Education from State University of New York at Oswego in 1957 and taught fourth grade in Public Schools in Michigan from 1957-1960. After several years at home raising four children, Dorothy returned to school, attended Midwest Montessori Institute and received an AMI Diploma certified to become a Directress (Montessori Primary teacher). At Madison Central Montessori School she was a Primary Directress from 1978-1989, Head of School from 1984-2006 and on the Board as Head of School Emeritus since 2007. Dorothy's daughter Anna is an AMI trained Directress who has been a teacher at MCMS since 1993. She also has two grandchildren, ages 7 and 11, who attend MCMS, and one grandson, age 15, who just graduated from MCMS after attending for 11 years.